


It's Different

by CptScarlett



Category: Elder Scrolls Online
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Daggerfall Covenant (Elder Scrolls), F/M, Maraya's Death, Minor Character Death, Plot Twists, Widowed, Widowed Emeric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:34:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29715849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CptScarlett/pseuds/CptScarlett
Summary: In a cross between the Bloodthorn Assasination attempt against the King of Daggerfall, and the Supernal Dreamer’s causing the death of Duchess Lakana in Alcaire Castle… there’s an attempt on High King Emeric’s life during the Stormhaven quests, before Emeric becomes the next victim of Vaermina’s plot. Our hero, tasked to save him, has a hard time forgiving herself when his wife is struck down. But in the end a friendship forms and soon she ends up spending quite a bit of time in the company of the High King. How things develop is a bit of a surprise to them both.
Relationships: Emeric (Elder Scrolls)/Original Female Character(s), Emeric/Female Vestige (Elder Scrolls)





	1. Chapter 1

Ariana Lovarian was meant to save the High King from the assassins. And she did. But what she didn’t expect was that in the midst of her defense of the King, for the his wife, Maraya, to get in the way of the assassins blade. Now the High King knelt over his wife’s body, weeping, and Ariana couldn’t help but feel as if she’d failed horribly.

“My lord, I—I am so sorry. I should have gotten here faster. I should have—”

“Who—who are you?” he gasped out through his distress.

She looked down at her boots, not feeling worthy of any of the title’s she was becoming known for. “I am Ariana Lovarian. And it was my task to save your life.”

“And save it you did,” the Head Guard, Captain Etienne, spoke up. “We will attend to the King and see that the Queen’s body is properly taken care of. Thank you for your assistance. I’ll find you in the city later to reward you for your work.”

“Th-that… that won’t be necessary,” she said as she quickly disappeared from of the presence of the King and his Head Guard, Captain Etienne.

****

It was days later before High King Emeric was in any shape to think clearly. He’d been mourning the loss of his beloved wife, as he was sure he’d be doing for quite some time. But he still had the Covenant and his country to run, and matters to see to.

“Who was that woman who fought off the assassins, Captain?”

“Ah, the warrior mage—her name is Ariana Lovarian, I believe. She is becoming known far and wide as a hero.”

“Yes, I’ve heard of her. Have you rewarded her yet, for her assistance?”

“Not as of yet, my lord. I’ve been busy preparing the security for the memorial service for the Queen and had not had the opportunity to seek her out. I sent word and asked her to stay in the city till I was able to properly thank her.”

“Please do find her, and when you do, invite her to come to the memorial. And I’d like to meet with her before hand.”

“Of course, my lord.”

****

“I had to ask around quite a bit to find you here. I had almost given up hope and thought you’d left town against my wishes,” the Captain said as he slid onto the bar stool next to Ariana. He looked her over. “I’ve heard a few rumors—that you consider yourself to blame for the Queen’s death?”

“I should have seen him coming—should have stopped him before he got to the Queen.”

“I was there, I saw what happened. If you’d stopped the Queen’s assassin, the King would have been the one killed. Not to say either is preferable, but it was the King I asked you to protect.”

“Still—”

“If you’re so insistent on taking blame for the Queen’s death, you can address that with the High King himself. Perhaps he’ll have you put in the stocks to make you feel better. But in the mean time, he’s requested your presence at the memorial service, and would like to see you before hand.”

“The King… wants to see me? Why?”

“I would guess to thank you personally for saving his life. You stepped between him and an assassins blade—guilt or no guilt, you will be rewarded for your work.”

“Reward isn’t necessary.”

“Well, you can argue that with the High King as well.”


	2. Chapter 2

Ariana took a deep breath and stood near the doorway of the King’s chambers. At her side was Captain Etienne. He looked between her and the doorway for a moment before rolling his eyes and stepping in. “My lord, I have brought the adventurer, Ariana Lovarian, at your request.”

“Where is she, then?”

“Just outside.”

“Send her in.”

Etienne turned and looked at her through the doorway, nodding her in. She hesitated and he sighed and stepped out, whispering to her. “Look, I don’t know you very well, but you are _not_ the same confident hero who walked into Wayrest. What I _do_ know is that the King wants to thank you, and right now, he needs to be able to do productive things to help him process his loss. If it makes you feel better, consider that you are helping him by accepting his thanks.

Ariana sighed and nodded, stepping into the doorway. The Captain left, satisfied the hero would have to take care of herself from there on out. She stood quietly and watched as the King looked at himself in the mirror. He wore a black outfit with layers of dark, deep purple throughout, honoring both his mourning status and his position of royalty in the Daggerfall Covenant.

“Are you just going to stand there in the doorway skulking about or are you going to come in?”

Ariana took another deep breath and stepped forward, coming within several feet of the king before bowing to one knee and lowering her head. “My lord, I am here at your request, but I wish to offer, once again, my sincerest condolences on the loss of your wife, and to say how deeply regretful I am that I did not stop the assassin in time to save her.”

She stayed there, in that position, for a long few moments of quiet. She had heard and sensed him turn to observe her a moment before he spoke up. “You’re not used to failing, are you?”

She glanced up momentarily before bowing her head again. “E-excuse me, my lord?”

He sighed. “Please, stand up.”

She stood, but kept her head down.

Another sigh. “Now, look at me.”

She raised her head to look in the sorrowful eyes of the man before her. “I asked you a question. You’re not used to failing, are you?”

“N-no, sire. No, I’m not.”

“Well, I’m not used to having a broken heart, either, but I suppose we’re both going to have to get accustomed to a certain level of discomfort, now aren’t we? The woman I see standing before me is not the woman I’ve heard tales of from my guards, servants, and every other bloody person who walks into this castle. You are known far and wide as a brave, courageous hero who fights evil and stands up for good. It doesn’t mean you’re perfect, and it doesn’t mean you’ll always win. And while I’ll desperately miss my wife, as much as I wish I could go find a cave to live out the rest of my days in deep mourning…. Life goes on. And as much as you wish you could turn back time and change the way things went during that battle just outside this door, you can’t. Life. Goes. On.” She thought about his words for a moment and nodded silently. He continued. “Do I wish things had gone differently as well? Yes. But what I know is that my guards couldn’t save me in that moment, nor could they save my wife. But you were there, and you were protecting me. She wasn’t even supposed to be here. She was supposed to be visiting her father and she came home a day early to surprise me. She’d just walked in moments before the assassin appeared and you ran in. It all happened so fast. What I’m trying to say is—it’s not your fault. And I’m here today because you were there to save my life. I won’t forget that. I owe you a great debt. Thank you.”

“You are welcome, my Lord.”

“Now, will you please walk with me and the Captain and attend my wife’s memorial?”

“Of course.”

Emeric motioned towards the door and she took the lead, with him catching up to her side moments later. The talk with the High King had alleviated some of Ariana’s anxiety over not being able to save his wife, but she still found herself terribly nervous around him.


	3. Chapter 3

As time went on and she continued her travels through Stormhaven, she found herself back in the presence of the High King quite often. He would send word to her requesting aide. He was sending her on missions himself, and had long since come to call her ‘friend’ as well as ‘hero’ and on rare occasion when he was really trying to butter her up to do something, he’d call her his ‘savior’.

It was when the Supernal Dreamers and Vaerimina herself tried to take the High King that Ariana realized just how close they’d become. As she fought her way through his nightmare, she felt particularly embarrassed to be seeing his worst fears. She found his vulnerability and lack of confidence surprising—he’d always seemed so confident and sure of himself. But here, in his nightmare, Vaerimina had almost broken him, made him doubt himself.

Now she stood in his bedroom once again, this time as he sat rather woefully at a small table near the bed he’d been trapped in just hours before.

“I don’t suppose you woke up and forgot everything you saw in my nightmare? With my luck, you remember it all. Don’t lie to me now, tell me the truth.”

“I remember everything,” she said quietly. She knew why he felt shame, though she didn’t feel it was deserved.

“Yes, yes, of course you do. Just my luck.” He sighed. “Well, I suppose if there’s anyone I’d want it to be, it would be you, my friend. I already held you as one of my most trustworthy companions, and now I suppose I don’t have much of a choice. You’ve seen my deepest, darkest fears.”

“We all have fears, my lord.”

“Do we? Do _you?_ I’ve come to think you must not have any fears at all, the way you stare down such great evil.”

Ariana hesitated a moment, then sat down across from him at the table. It was only the second time she’d been in his royal chambers. The first was the day of his wife’s memorial. But since he was making such talk of them being such good friends, it didn’t quite feel so uncomfortable to sit here, in his private chambers. “Do you remember the last time I was here, in your chambers?”

“The day of Maraya’s memorial. Yes, I remember.”

“As you can imagine, my lord, I’ve seen quite a bit of death. I don’t think any before had affected me the way hers did.”

He leaned forward in his seat, very interested in this conversation. “Why?”

“Perhaps it was because I’d never stuck around long enough to see the desperate look in the eye of the one who was experiencing the loss of those that die.”

“You do tend to be quite the fast traveler.”

“It’s intentional.” Ariana paused for only a moment before sharing something she hadn’t shared with anyone in years. “When I was a child I watched my mother die at the hands of a vile group of bandits. They held me and my father back as they slit her throat. Then they raided our home, burned our crops, and locked us into the barn while they escaped.”

“That’s… that’s terrible. What a horrible thing to go through.”

“My father was a good man, and he deeply loved my mother. He was so lost without her. He didn’t know how to live without her. I watched him fade away so quickly into a shell of the man I had once known. One day, I came in from the fields to find he had taken his own life. It was then I set out on my own and began training with some of the best fighters and mages that Tamriel has to offer. I was determined to never let anyone suffer the fate my father had. But I travel fast because I’m terrified of seeing all those people having to grieve the loss of their loved ones. Because it means I couldn’t save everyone.”

“Is that why you do what you do? Because you think you _can_ save everyone?”

“I know I can’t. But I’m going to try and save as many as I can. Until the day I…” She paused a moment, realizing she’d almost revealed the one secret she’d never intended to share. “Until the day I’m dead and gone, I will keep saving as many as I can.”

“And that’s why it devastated you that Maraya died.”

“I should have saved her.”

“We’ve already been over this,” he said with a sigh—a hint of impatience but mostly compassion. “You can’t save everyone. And if it had been me who died, who would you have to keep you busy with all these tasks I keep sending you off to do?” He shared a small smile with her.

She mirrored the smile. “It’s true. It would have been dreadfully boring without you around.”

“Ah, there we are, see?” He chuckled and gazed at her with admiration that almost made her blush, and that she was certain she didn’t deserve.

After a few moments of quiet, she spoke again. “Do you miss her?”

“Of course I do. Can you believe it’s been almost a year? Some days it feels like it was yesterday.” He paused and the look that flashed through his eyes was one Ariana couldn’t quite name. “Other days, it feels like it’s been a hundred years. I’m glad I’ve had you by my side.”

“I’ve hardly been by your side—you’ve been too busy sending me off on one mission or another.”

“But you _do_ keep coming back. However, you hardly seem the type to settle down anywhere, Ariana. If I asked you to stay in Wayrest, would you? Honestly?”

She paused—taken aback both by the use of her first name, and the nature of his question. It held more vulnerability than she’d expected. So she considered her answer, determined to provide him the most honest one she could. “I think… I think that one day I might like to settle down somewhere. But not today, and not tomorrow.”

A throat clearing at the doorway caught both their attention. “Excuse me sir, but they are gathering downstairs.”

“Thank you, Captain.” The High King then turned to her. “Follow me to the throne room.”

She frowned as he stood, but she did the same and followed beside him. “What’s going on?” He was silent. “My lord, you’ve got that look on your face… like you’ve got something up your sleeve. What aren’t you telling me?”

“It’s nothing really. Just a few people who wanted to gather together to give their thanks…”

“M’lord—,” she said in warning.

He stopped and turned towards her. “You know, you _are_ my friend… you could call me by my name instead of all that ‘my lord’ business.”

Her face scrunched up. She wasn’t sure how she felt about calling him ‘Emeric’. Friend, confidant, companion, protector, champion, whatever she was to him—being on a first name basis with the High King felt very… personal. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for that or not.

He sighed at her silence and turned back towards their destination, beginning to walk again. “Look, I _know_ you hate pomp and ceremony, but I _am_ the High King and you have just saved me _again_. This time I’m much more clear headed and determined to give you the recognition you deserve, even if you don’t want it.”

She huffed but continued to follow him, glancing towards the hall that held the exit of the castle.

“I see you eying the door. Don’t even think about it, with one command the guards would be upon you. And I happen to know you wouldn’t kill them, even though I know you could.” She remained silent. “Really? Are we children? You’re going to give me the silent treatment because I’m going to make you stand in front of people while I talk about how wonderful you are? I’d think you’d be used to this by now. I know several other kings, queens, etcetera, have done the same thing to you.”

“Too many times… but that’s different.”

He stopped again and looked at her carefully. “Why is it different?”

“Because they’re not you.” It slipped out so quickly she stammered to cover. “They’re not the High King, leader of the Daggerfall Covenant. I’ve been loyal and a servant of the Covenant as long as it’s existed. This is… bigger. It’s different.”

It was a simple gesture, his hand reaching out to rest on her arm in a moment of comfort. But it made chillbumps run down the bare skin of the arm he touched, and her heart thumped in her chest. “I promise I’ll keep it short,” he said gently. “But there’s no turning back now. Come on, Ariana. Just this once, let me tell them how proud I am to have you at my side.”

His words only made it worse. How many different ways she could have taken them. She swallowed hard and internally shook herself free of the wandering thoughts. He was the High King, and he was simply wanting to thank her for her service to the Covenant. That was all. She gave a quick nod and they were headed towards the throne room once more.

He did keep it short, thankfully. He said a few words of appreciation on behalf of himself and the rest of those who she’d freed from Vaermina’s spell, and on behalf of the Abbey, and all of the Covenant. He presented her with a sizable coin purse which she quickly slipped into her waist pouch. As the ceremony ended, before she could slip away, she felt a hand at her elbow and turned to see it was the High King again.

“I know you’re going to disappear for a few days, as you do. Check back in soon as I’m sure there’ll be more for you to do. And don’t just toss that coin purse at the next merchant you stop at. There’s something special in there, too. A, um… a personal gift, from me.”

Her hand went for her waist pouch and he shook his head. “Not now, not here. Later. Wherever it is you wander to—stay safe, Ariana.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “One day… one day I’ll get you to call me by my name.”


	4. Chapter 4

Ariana walked back in her home in Wayrest, not too far down from the castle. It was huge and more room than she’d ever need, but it was comfortable and it had truly come to feel like home. And it was close… to Emeric. The walk had been more uncomfortable than usual as everyone in the city had seemed to hear about her latest exploits saving the king from Vaermina.

Her conversation with Emeric about settling down had been the truth. She had inn rooms in many towns, but never stayed settled at any of them. She wondered if the King… if Emeric… reailzed just what a big deal was that she’d purchased this house.

She sat down by the fire and finally allowed herself to pull the coin purse out of her satchel. She pulled open the bag and fished for a moment before she felt it… a ring. She pulled it out and her eyes went wide. It was the High King’s Signet Ring. No doubt he had more than one, but she knew he didn’t just hand these out to anyone. She slipped the ring onto her finger and swallowed hard. What was she getting herself into?

****

Weeks later Ariana finally returned to Wayrest after a long adventure. She’d only been at Gardner House, her home, for a few minutes when there was a knocking at the door. She frowned, wondering who could have possibly already found her. When she opened the door, she frowned further. “Captain, I’ve only just arrived in the city—what could you possibly already be needing my assistance with?”

“Is there anyone else in your home, ma’am?” Etienne said as he glanced over her shoulder.

Ariana scrunched her face up. “No. And you know Etienne, that I am cautious. I always check the house thoroughly to ensure it’s safe before I settle in.”

“Very good. As I expected. It’s the only reason I let him talk me into this.” At that, the Captain stepped aside, revealing two other guards who also stepped aside revealing none other than High King Emeric.

“Emer—” She caught herself. “—My lord, what are you doing here?”

Emeric’s eyebrow perked up. He’d caught that she’d almost slipped and used his first name. “Really? Is that the way you greet your friends when they come to visit you at home? Much less the King.” He was playing with her, and she could tell he was amused.

She rolled her eyes and stepped aside, giving space in the open doorway and dramatically motioning him in. “Please, my lord, do come in,” she said over dramatically.

He grinned and stepped inside. She looked to the Captain in question, and he shook his head. “We’ll just stay out here ma’am. We have guards stationed at all the doors, just in case.”

Ariana shook her head in mild disbelief and closed the door, then turned to find Emeric looking around the large great room carefully. “Is there something you needed, m’lord? Some matter of urgency that required you to privately speak to me?”

Ariana caught that he turned and gazed at her a long moment before he shook his head. “Nothing too urgent, I suppose. I just—” He stopped himself, a slight frown as he examined her closely from across the room. “You did something with your hair.”

She immediately felt her cheeks burn as she reached to tuck the loose hair behind her ear. Her eyes landed on the floor, unable to look him in the eye. “I… grew tired of braiding it. A bun Is much easier, though some always comes loose. But no matter what, it’s much easier—for fighting… for everything.”

“I see,” was all he said.

“I could always change it back if…”

“If what?” He said with a scoff. “I’m the High King, not the fashion and hair police, Ariana. You can keep your hair any way you like it.” She noticed him take a step closer, though he was still several feet away. But when he spoke again it was quiet and gentle. “Besides, I like it.”

“Y-you do?” She chanced glancing up at him. How did he manage to make her so timid? She’d faced down countless enemies and evil yet he could make her feel so bashful.

“Yes. I do. It… softens your appearance a bit.”

Her eyebrow perked up and she took advantage of the opportunity to jab at him in their normal playful banter. “Did I look that bad before?”

He rolled his eyes. “Leave it to you to twist my compliment around. But on another matter, _you_ almost called me by my first name. I heard it, so don’t deny it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said pointedly as she moved to a side table where several different bottles and glasses were stationed.

“You are _really_ going to try and deny it?”

She held up a bottle of wine and a glass and he nodded. As she poured two glasses she spoke. “It isn’t appropriate, my lord. You are the High King,” she handed him the glance and waved hers around as she continued. “And I am—” She tried to find the right word.

“My friend.” He finished for her. It was that tone again, that soft gentle tone that always seemed to hold some underlying message she wasn’t quite catching on to. She hid her uncertainty behind her glass and took a sip as she motioned him towards the two great chairs by the fire. “Friend or not, it still isn’t appropriate.”

After they were both seated, he continued. “Appropriate my arse, I’m the King, I can let you call me whatever I want. And you _are_ my friend, and I grow tired of you calling me ‘my lord’ as if I am somehow better than you.”

“You are the _King_. People are supposed to refer to you as ‘my lord’ or ‘my liege’. I would assume you understood that when you took the throne.”

“It’s different.”

She looked away from the fire and to him when he said it. It echoed a conversation they’d had the last time she’d been in Wayrest. “Different how?” the question came out much quieter than she’d planned.

“Because you are you, and you are different,” he said softly. They both sipped from their wine and remained quiet, staring into the fire for several minutes before he spoke again. “You’re wearing the ring,” he said as he stared at the hand that held her wine glass, the gold ring on her pointer finger.

“I am,” she said quietly.

“I’m glad.”

Again, quiet fell on them and it was a few more moments before she gained the courage to speak again. “So, tell me. Why did you really come down from the castle to Gardner House? And how did you get down here so quickly when I only just arrived long enough ago to check the house and courtyard over?”

Emeric smirked. “I may or may not have had someone on the lookout for you. When they saw you approaching the city on your horse they sent word to the Castle. I wanted to come down and see your home, and you—outside the castle. Even a King needs a bit of respite from the politics and the greetings and the blessings and the reports and… well, you get the point.”

She smiled and nodded. “You are always welcome here when you need to hide from the paperwork.”

“I’d hoped you’d say that.” He sighed and looked down to his cup. “The fact of the matter is… I missed your company. It’s lonely in the castle.”

She gulped. “The castle is always full of visitors, guards, dignitaries—”

“And once again, I say—” He looked back up at her. “It’s different.”

She held his gaze long enough for some unspoken thing to pass between them. Finally, she cleared her throat and spoke again. “So tell me what’s happened while I was gone.” She decided to continue their conversation into more boring day-to-day matters… much _safer_ matters.


	5. Chapter 5

She always came back to Wayrest, and she continued to do the bidding of the High King. Occasionally she’d arrive at Gardener House to find him already waiting in the courtyard, sometimes he’d show up minutes later. Sometimes she’d have to find him at the castle because he was so busy with royal matters. And in the end, she saved his life once more. This time, returning him from death at the hands of Septima Tharn. What she didn’t expect was to be ambushed by the witches remaining lackeys on her way out of the Hall of Heroes. It happened so fast, and she knew when it did, it was going to be a painful one to recover from.

Since losing her soul to Molag Bal at the hands of Mannimarco, resurrecting had been an interesting side effect. At this point, it didn’t seem she’d ever die—technically, she supposed, she already was ‘dead’. Returned somehow by the Prophet from Coldharbour. Her body was ‘real’ but without a soul. She wasn’t sure how that worked. The resurrecting was the most shocking part of it all. Sometimes it took longer than others, depending on how seriously she’d been hurt. Usually she would wake back up exactly where she’d been cut down, sometimes in time to deal a death blow to the one who had given her the same. A very few times, she’d wake up somewhere else, and sometimes it took days to recover.

But when she woke up this time, she found herself in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room.

“Oh, you’ve awoken! Divines be praised!” An elderly woman’s voice called out from across the room.

“Where… where am I?” she whispered out in a raspy voice as she tried to shift in the bed. Oh, yes, this one was going to take some time to recover from.

The woman came closer and Ariana’s eyes finally focused on her as she spoke again. “Why, you are at Cumberland House, family home of High King Emeric himself.”

“The High King? How did I get here?”

“Why he brought you, of course. Carried you in himself, with the best healers in all of Stormhaven on his heels. Pardon ma’am, but I must send word to the King that you are awake. He’d have my head if he found out you were awake for more than a few moments and I hadn’t sent word immediately.”

Ariana watched as the older woman skittered off quickly to the door and attempted to shift again, sighing in frustration as most of her body felt like dead weight. She could feel everything, it just all felt so heavy. Suddenly there was a bustling around outside the door and it flew open. Ariana was taken aback at the site of a rather casually dressed High King in the doorway.

“You really are awake!” he gasped out as he rushed to her side and sat on the edge of the bed. “I could hardly believe when old Diana said it. But here you are, eyes open.”

“My—” She squinted in pain as she tried to shift again. “My lord, I apologize for not standing or sitting up, I seem to be a bit worse for the wear.”

Emeric shook his head sternly. “Alright, that’s it. I’m officially ordering you—you will desist in calling me ‘my lord’ or I will— well I don’t know what I’ll do. But please,” his voice, and his eyes, grew softer. “Ariana—please, call me Emeric.”

She swallowed and glanced down as he took her hand in his. “Very well… Emeric.”

He gave a satisfied grin.

She gave him a playful scowl. “Don’t look so proud of yourself. I’m laying here unable to move, I can’t exactly argue with you right now.”

He let out a hardy laugh. “Oh, yes you could. High King or not, you’ve never shied away from giving me your opinion. But I’m glad you’ve chosen to let me win this one.”

She sighed. “So… I suppose between Septima’s incessant need for banter and my current situation, you’ve devised that I’m a bit…”

“You’re alive. That’s what matters,” he interrupted.

She sighed. “But am I, really? I mean, I’m here, I’m awake, I’m talking, but… I’ve no soul, Emeric.”

“I gathered as much from Septima’s ranting about Coldharbour and not being able to kill you. Tell me… what happened?”

“Mannimarco happened.” She paused a moment, then lifted her free hand—he still held the other one—and slid down the loose material of the nightgown she’d been dressed in, revealing a huge X shaped scar across her chest. “He killed me and delivered my soul to Molag Bal.”

“What does it feel like to not have a soul? I’m only vaguely familiar with the opposite - what it feels like to be a soul with no body. That was disconcerting enough.”

Ariana shook her head. “It’s strange… in so many ways it doesn’t feel different. I remember the split second before my death as the knife plunged into my chest. I remember waking up in Coldharbour and being found by Lyris Titanborn.”

“Lyris Titanborn? The half-giant? I’ve heard of her. I shouldn’t be surprised at the association.”

“Several times… when I disappeared… it was because we were working against Mannimarco to try and recover this Amulet that will be needed to defeat Molag Bal.”

“And let me guess…”

She nodded. “Yes. I’ll be the one to go against him. Very soon. I’m waiting for word that we are ready to move forward with the plan.”

Emeric sighed. “I can’t say that I’m thrilled with the idea of you going up against Molag Bal.”

She gave him a sad smile. “I thwarted the plans of one Daedric Prince, what’s another one to add to my list?”

“It’s not a joke, Ariana. I lost Maraya, and I never wanted to feel that again. Then you…” he sighed and his shoulders slumped. “I thought I’d lost you.”

“I’m sorry, I should have told you what would happen if I was ever gravely injured. I should have told you about my soul.”

“I wish you had. But I can’t be angry with you. Because you’re still here and alive. However, what Molag Bal could do to you is worse than death. He could keep you alive and in pain for eternity.”

“I know, I’ve seen it.”

His look turned almost desperate. “Must you be the one to do this?”

“Yes. My… situation… makes me the perfect candidate for the ritual that must take place. And, it’s the only way to have a chance at getting my soul back.”

“Well then, I suppose I can’t put this off any longer.”

“Put what off?”

“Telling you how I feel.”

“Emeric—”

“While I appreciate you finally using my name, I’m going to have to insist— Please, let me say this. We’ve skirted around this for ages now. And as you lay lifeless in my arms and I thought you were gone forever, I realized how deeply I regretted not telling you before.” He stood, finally letting her hand slip from his, and began pacing. “I know it’s only just been a year since Maraya was killed. But a year is a long time in these days, isn’t it? And I can’t help but believe she would want this. She always told me to follow my heart. And my heart keeps leading me back to you, Ariana.” He quickly came back to her side and sat down again, taking her hand back into both of his. “When I thought you’d died without me having the opportunity to tell you how much I love and care about you—it left me gutted. I didn’t think I could go on. Then you let out this sharp gasp of breath and that mage, Gabriella, she said you weren’t gone. She did everything she could and we sent for the best healers to aid your body as it repaired itself. You are a marvel, Ariana Lovarian, and soul or no soul, you must feel the same way. I’ve seen it in your eyes. I saw it… just before I died… tell me I wasn’t imagining it.”

Ariana’s heart raced. “You weren’t imagining it. But… Emeric, I—”

“Listen, I know you are terrified. You told me once about losing your mother. About how seeing me lose Maraya hurt you so deeply. I knew then, and I know now—you’re scared to love someone because it means you might lose them and have _your_ heart broken. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this past year, it’s that the heart can heal. And I wouldn’t take back a moment I had with Maraya. I never thought I’d love again. But then you just kept walking back into that throne room, you kept speaking truth to me and not letting me get away with nonsense. And you are the closest friend I could ever ask for. But it grew into something more and perhaps it was only when I thought I’d lost you that I realized what it really was.”

“Love.”

He nodded. “Love.”

She swallowed and looked down at their joined hands. “When I saw Septima stab you, when I ran to your side and heard you speak your last words, I… I knew I had gone and done the very thing I’d set out not to do.”

“So, you _do_ feel the same way.”

She sighed. “Yes, Mara help me, I suppose I do.”

He smiled and seemed content to sit and look at her.

She on the other hand felt even more bashful under his gaze. “But, Emeric, you’re—”

“I love hearing you say my name. I knew I would,” he interrupted her.

She rolled her eyes, but continued. “You are the High King, and I am…”

“My friend.”

“You always do that…”

“You seem to need to be reminded. You are more than just some random member of society. You are Ariana Lovarian, champion of the Daggerfall Covenant, adventurer, battlemage, and… close confidant and friend of the King—and, as it so happens, the woman I love.”

She sighed again, and felt her eyes growing heavy. All the conversation had tired her, and her body begged for more sleep and rest as it continued to recover. “But… what next? What does this mean for us?”

He reached out and tucked a hair behind her ear. “It means that you will lie here and rest as long as you need to. You will stay at Cumberland House as long as needed to recover. And I, for as much and as long as I can, will stay with you. By your side to ensure you don’t try and slip away and do something crazy before you’re ready.”

“Don’t you need to be in Wayrest? Don’t you have King things to do?”

“I can do the ‘King things’ from here. The Captain is keeping me informed of how things fair in Wayrest. Paperwork, unfortunately, seems to follow me wherever I go.”

“But… us…”

“We can figure that out as we go.”


	6. Chapter 6

A few days later, Emeric came into the room to find Ariana standing at a bookshelf. “Well, you’re feeling much better, then! Diana said you were back to your old self, but I had to see it for myself.”

“I don’t know about back to my old self, but I am feeling much better. I still tire easy—in fact, I was just thinking I could use some fresh air and a chair to sit in. Would you like to join me on the balcony?”

“I’d love nothing more.” He came over and held his arm out. She smiled and looped hers around his and he escorted her to the balcony. “So I was thinking—”

She gasped when they stepped out onto the balcony and an apparition appeared.

“What is it?”

She rolled her eyes. “I forget, you can’t see him. It’s Varen.”

_You must come to the Harborage, Vestige. The time has come._

And just like that he was gone.

She sat in the chair and sighed. He knelt in front of her and frowned. “If it was Varen Aquilarius… that means—” She only nodded. He sighed. “But I’ve only just gotten you back up and around. You can’t possibly be expected to go off into battle in this condition.”

“By tomorrow I’ll be in fighting shape, Emeric. And by the time I make it to Daggerfall, I’ll be ready.”

“I’m not ready to let you go, Ariana. There’s still so much I wanted to say—to do.”

“I’m not leaving for good, Emeric. I’ll be back.”

“Promise me. Promise me that you’ll come back to me.” He was still kneeling in front of her, hands holding onto hers.

She smiled sweetly and took one hand away from his to reach out and cup his cheek. He inhaled sharply at the touch and his eyes slipped shut as he leaned into it. “I promise, Emeric of Cumberland. I will return to you. Though I believe I will find you back in Wayrest. It’s high time you get back to the castle.”

She stood, and he stood with her, tugging her close. “I don’t want things to go back to the way they were. Me in the throne room, you wandering in every so often to handle some deed the Covenant would ask of you. I don’t expect you to stop your adventures, to stop saving the world and all that. But I would like to think that perhaps things might change a bit now that we’ve admitted how we feel.

“Can we take it slow? Figure things out as we go along?”

“That depends.”

“Depends on what?”

“Does slow mean I can or can’t kiss you right now?”

She blushed, but smiled. “Can. Most definitely can.”

He smiled back and leaned in, granting her one long, sweet kiss. When they separated, he rested his forehead against hers and sighed. “When are you leaving?”

“One more good night’s rest will do me good. I’ll leave in the morning.”

“Promise me you won’t leave without letting me see you one last time in the morning. I know you, you’d run off before I awoke just to avoid goodbye.”

“I promise, I won’t leave without saying goodbye. In the meantime, we still have plenty of hours left in the day today. Do you have royal business you need to attend to?”

“Nothing that can’t wait till tomorrow, under the circumstances. I’m all yours, and I have a few ideas.”

“Oh?”

“A walk through the gardens, and out to a few of my favorite spots from childhood.”


	7. Chapter 7

Ariana had gone over it multiple times with Cadwell. Given him precise instructions and descriptions of Wayrest Castle and exactly where she wanted the portal to open up. She didn’t want to end up in Emeric’s lap, but she did want to be inside the castle walls. Hopefully she’d appear through the portal quickly enough that the castle guard wouldn’t panic. Cadwell was getting better and better with his portals, he just hoped he’d come through with this one.

When she stepped through the portal the first thing she heard was. “Protect the King! We’re being ambushed from the inside!”

She held up her hands in a show of peace as soon as she stepped through. “Stand down! I come with news for the High King of the Daggerfall Covenant! Molag Bal’s plans have been waylaid and the Prince himself put in his place!” She said with a grand shout and a grin to follow.

“Ariana!” The King shouted from his throne, though he was already jumping out of it as she approached. In proper royal fashion, she knelt before the King.

“My lord, I apologize for the abrupt entrance, however I felt you would want the news as quickly as I could deliver it.”

Emeric had started to speak, she was sure to make a comment about her reverence to him. But instead he stopped, closed his mouth, and waited for her to continue.

She had glanced up to see his reaction, a smirk on her face that only he could see. “I have a more detailed report to provide at your earliest convenience, but it best be done in private, my lord. Some of the details are of the utmost secrecy.”

There was silence and when she glanced up again, she saw a small smirk of his own. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Rise, Champion. You need kneel before no one, not even your King. You have once again saved all of Tamriel, dare I say, all of Nirn. I will send for you when I am prepared to hear your full report. In the mean time, I believe you deserve some rest. Will you be retiring to the Gardner House for the evening or should I send for you elsewhere?”

She hesitated a moment, surprised by his decision to put off meeting her in private. She recovered quickly and answered. “I will be at home, my lord. Send a messenger when you are ready.”

As soon as they heard the large castle doors close, the Captain came to stand next to the King, faced away from the rest of the room, and whispered. “Should I have your personal guards prepare for a trip through town, my lord?”

“As soon as possible, Captain.” Emeric turned towards the Captain. “And thank you, Mathias. For your discretion, and your preparedness.”

“Do you think, my lord, that perhaps there might be a day when we won’t need to be prepared for these… clandestine… meetings?”

Emeric took a deep breath. “I do hope so, Captain. I do hope so.”

“Very well, my lord. I’ll have your guards prepared. They’ll be waiting at the special entrance, as usual.”

****

Ariana sat in her favorite overstuffed chair by the fire. The one across from her still sat empty. She had considered counting to see how long it took him. She smiled when there was a knock at the door. As she stood she realized that perhaps she should have dressed more appropriately for a meeting with the King… even if it was a secret meeting at her home, and the first one here since their confession to each other of the feelings they had. She wore loose leggings and a sleeveless top. It was comfortable, and after wearing her sturdy leather jack for so long, it felt good to let her skin air out as it were. After only a moment of second guessing, she shook the thought and continued on the path to the door. It would do no good to leave Emeric waiting any longer for her. No doubt he’d paced a ditch into the area in front of the throne waiting for word of how it had gone in Coldharbour. And he never seemed to be exceptionally concerned with her appearance.

She smiled when she opened the door and a man in a familiar deep purple colored cape, hood drawn over his face, stood on the other side. She quickly allowed him in and nodded to the guards at the bottom of the stairs before shutting the door. She turned in time to see him releasing the clasp on the front of the cape and tossing it over a chair at the side table. She loved that he’d come to feel so comfortable here. And loved even more that this was the first time he’d ventured from the castle in the same ‘commoner’ clothes he’d worn around Cumberland House. It also made her feel much more comfortable in her own clothes. She could almost imagine them as Emeric and Ariana, just two common villagers—not the High King and the Champion of… well, of many things these days.

He turned and looked her over in a way that made her blush. But she wasn’t quite ready to give in yet. She crossed he arms over her chest. “Send for me when you’re ready? Send for me? You have a private library, an office, and several other rooms that would have been totally acceptable for a private meeting with the Covenant Champion. You made me wait. _On purpose_.”

He grinned and crossed his arms over his own chest. “ _You_ appeared out of nowhere in the middle of my castle and gave my guards a heart attack. You’re lucky one of them didn’t loose an arrow on you the moment you stepped through the portal!”

She smiled back, heart thumping out of her chest. It was so good to see him after everything. And this time, she could feel it… in her soul. “Oh, Emeric.”

His grin softened into the smile she’d come to love, the soft caring one that had started appearing more and more over time, and that he’d left her with before she left Cumberland House. “Ariana.”

She gave in. Her arms fell to her side as she bridged the distance between them, rising only when she was just in front of him as his arms went around her waist and hers around his neck.

“Gods, I missed you. But here you are. You’re alive. You did it. You saved us from the dreaded Molag Bal. And… did you?” He raised a hand gently to the center of her chest.

She nodded happily. “I did. Meridia saw to it that my soul was returned to me. I’m whole again, Emeric.”

He sighed. “And so am I. But not because of my soul’s return but because of _your_ return. I sent a piece of myself away with you when you left Cumberland House. My heart went with you, Ariana.”

“Your heart has returned, Emeric. I have returned, just as I promised.”

“And now, I believe there’s something else you promised me,” he said as he leaned in. She smirked one last time before meeting his lips in a kiss. She had indeed promised him another kiss upon her return.

When they separated, Ariana moved away to pour them both a glass of wine. She’d started keeping his favorite in stock at Gardner House after his first visit and mention of the wine. As she poured the second glass, he spoke. “Ariana… I don’t mean to seem unhappy… because I’m thrilled your back, and I’m glad we can have this time together… but…”

She stopped pouring and set the glasses down on the small bar, turning back to him. She knew what he was having a hard time getting to. “But you grow tired of sneaking around secretly.”

“I don’t want to scare you off. I’m terrified that if I push you, you’ll disappear and I’ll never see you again. I love you too much, and damn this spell you have me under—I’d keep sneaking for the rest of my life if that’s what it took to have you in my life.”

“But you want more,” she said quietly.

“We promised each other we’d be honest. Friends… lovers… whatever we are, whatever we become… we promised we’d always be honest. This is me being honest, Ariana. I love you and I want to shout it from the rooftops, or at the very least not have you kneeling before me in the throne room to hide what is going on between us. I want you by my side, not bowing before me. I want you… I want you as my wife, not as my subject.”

She swallowed. “Are—are you asking me to marry you, Emeric?”

“I’m asking if that’s even a possibility? I know it’s a tall order. I know that being Queen is probably something you never wanted, never dreamed of, and would never ask for. What I know I _don’t_ want is for rumors to start and people to look down on you, I don’t want them thinking that you’re merely some sort of consort that I come to for physical pleasure. You deserve more respect than anyone else in all of Tamriel for what you’ve done for _all_ the people, not just the people of the Covenant.”

“To be Queen… that is a _big_ deal, Emeric. That… that is a _lot_ of responsibility?”

“You mean more responsibility than fighting Daedric Princes, evil overlords, nasty cultists, the undead, solving murders, thwarting assassination plots, helping the sick and poor… I could go on and on. The point is, you’re already doing a rather fine job of being rather Queen-like without having the title. The job of a Queen is to serve, protect, and lead her people. Yes, in many and most instances it is by political means—”

“Paperwork,” she stated with a smirk.

“Oy, the paperwork, yes,” he smiled back. “But, seriously. You’ve seen that I’m not just one to be satisfied with the paperwork. I like to get my hands dirty, feet on the ground, and sword out of the sheath. I see no reason why my Queen couldn’t—”

“Alright.”

His mouth was still open in mid sentence. “Al-alright? Are you agreeing?”

“You said you were asking if it was a possibility. Yes. With the understanding that I won’t have to put on some fancy delicate dress and sit on a throne every day.”

He raised an eyebrow and gave a hopeful smile. “But… perhaps some days? Occasionally?”

“The fancy dress or the the sitting on a throne by your side?”

“Would I be pushing my luck if I said both?”

She rolled her eyes. “Perhaps. I do promise, Emeric, that as long as you stay true and loyal to all that is good and right in the world, I will stay true to you. I am loyal to you, and to the Covenant—but if I see you, or the Covenant, straying from what I believe is right, you can’t expect me to bow before your will just because of who you are, or even because of who we are to each other. I will speak up for what is right. I know it’s messy, and I know there isn’t always a clear answer. But perhaps together we can find the best, clearest answer we can.”

He slowly came towards her. “Really—you’re really saying yes to this?”

“Gods, I don’t think I can say no to you, not when it comes to the idea of loving you. Not when it comes to being able to tell the world that I’ve found the love of my life in Wayrest Castle. Who would have ever thought it would be the High King of the Daggerfall Covenant who stole my heart?”

He smiled wide and took her hand, raising it to his lips for a gentle kiss. “And I am honored to be trusted with it, my lady.”

—The End--


End file.
